Western Academy of Beijing's Grade 9 students gathered on Thursday to hear stories and lessons directly from people who lived through China's Cultural Revolution.

"The views of a historical event depend very much on who tells the story," WAB Founder Michael Crook, who lived in China during the historic time, told the group of students.

All of the guests who came to speak on the topic shared the experience at different points in their lives. "For young people who were in school, school stopped. Some went to the countryside to go to communes or villages. Some worked in factories. We all had different experiences," he said.

Six of the visitors who were "more educated" at the time of the Cultural Revolution shared dramatic and inspiring collective reading of a poem they had written about the hardships they encountered and the optimistic views they held which inspired them them through such a difficult time.

Students then moved into classrooms with smaller groups to hear individually from those who experienced the Cultural Revolution.

In the smaller groups, our guests talked about the Cultural Revolution and what it meant for young and old students, parents, peasants and the nation as a whole.

Fan Jie, one of the guest speakers, began her story talking about when she was forced to moved to the countryside, which was already crowded with peasants and forced to work.

"Students were not happy because all of the classes were cancelled. Parents were not happy because the classes were cancelled," she told the students. "The whole country was unsatisfied. Going to the countryside changed the fate of an entire generation."

All of the guests stressed to the students that they were in an incredibly fortunate situation being in school at WAB, and how important it is not only to study, but to find a passion.

"It's good to have passion, and I feel (a school) environment should foster passion," Michael told a small group. "I hope that WAB becomes a place that grows passion in young people."

He challenged the students to identify their passion and to make a difference by taking action to change something about the issues and problems they care about.

This is part of an annual visit for the Grade 9 students, who use the opportunity to learn about an incredibly influential time in the history of WAB's host country of China.

Thank you to all of the visitors who came to share their experiences and connect with our Grade 9 students.